Bag-filling machine.



C. I". STEHUN.

BAG FILLING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5, 1915.

Patented July 18, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET! IHII llll XI II I! WITNESSES 7n. 4 41 W W C. F. STEHLIN.

BAG mums MACHINE.

APPLICATION TILED MAR. 5. l9l5.

Patented July 18, 1916.

INVENTOR W/T/VE 8E8 I 9 M BY I 101 v Q ,u ATTORNEYQ C. F. STEHLIN.

BAG FILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5. I9I5.

Patented July 18, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES .INI/EIIITOR BY K /Q v" 4/ ATTORNEY-5.

c. r. STEHLIN.

BAG FILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 5, 1915.

Patented July 18, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

A TTOR/VE Y UNITED srarns PATENT @FFISE.

CHARLES IE. STEHLIN, OF NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK.

BAG-FILLING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. STEHLIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New Rochelle, county of Westchester, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bag Filling Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to bag filling machines, and While designed more especially for the purpose of bagging grain, machines made in accordance with my invention may be utilized for compactly filling a variety ofcontainers with materials of various kinds.

According to the present invention the container and the material therein and that being introduced therein are subjected to a recurrent movement in a substantially horizontal plane, and this horizontal recurrent shaking or vibrating action is continued until the container is filled. Containers of various kinds may be used, such as bags, barrels, boxes and the like, and when a bag or equivalent flexible container is used, means are provided for holding it by the top. I have found that with materials of which the separate pieces are comparatively long and comparatively slender, such, for example, as barley grains which have gone through the process of malting and brewing, and have thereafter been dried, a very considerable decrease in the amount of space occupied can be obtained by subjecting the same to a recurrent shaking or vibration in a substantially horizontal plane, the separate grains or pieces being thereby made to he together 1n substantially close contact,

and the amount of space taken up by the grains resting crosswise on one another and v Specificationof Letters Patent. Application filed March 5, 1915. Serial No. 12,285.

Patented July 18, 1916.

i of 150' pounds of the same material in the same bag wlthout filling it any closer to thetop than is done by hand bagging.

My invention results in considerable economies both in the number of bags used and, what is more important, in the space occupied by the material as when being shipped in cars, boats and the like. Similar economies may be effected in the packaging of various materials, as sugar, beet pulp, etc.

My invention is improvement of means forholding and sustaining the container, as a bag, or other flexible container, while being filled, and in the improvement of apparatus of this character in numerous important particulars, and with the foregoing andrelated' objects in view, my invention consists in the parts, improvementsand combinations herein set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and wherein the same reference numerals are applied to the same parts throughout, I have shown two forms of apparatus, one a single and the other a multiple apparatus in which my invention may be embodied.

In said drawings,Figure 1 is a plan View further directed to the of a single bagging machine embodying one form of my invention, certain parts being broken away to show the parts beneath. Fig. 2 is a side view of the machine shown in Fig.1. Figs. 8, 4, 5, and 6 are detail views of parts of the machine shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the arrangementsfor holding the bagin placel. Fig. 8 is an end view of the machine shown in Fig. 1, the outline of a bag appearing in dotted lines. Fig. 9 is a plan view of a modified form of machine embodying my invention and adapted to operate upon three bags simultaneously. Fig. 10 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view showing the construction of supporting rollers for the platform of the machine shown in Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a fragmentary crosssectional view of a spring shock absorber for use in the machine shown inFig. 9, and 12 is a fragmentary, central, vertical, crosssectional view of aiportion of the machine shown in Fig. 9. I

Referring first to the machine shown in Figs. 1 to 8, and which is adapted for use with one bag at a time, the machine frame is designated by the reference numeral 20. Said frame is preferably supported on short legs 21, 21 which are preferably pointed somewhat at their lower ends, as indicated at 22, 22, this construction being preferable in order that the pointed ends of the legs may dig into the fioor or ground somewhat as the machine is operated and the bag platform is vibrated, thus giving it a comparatively firm hold in the location in which it is placed. The structure is comparatively light and the machine may be readily moved about as from one bin to another. The bag holding platform is indicated at 23 and is so mounted on the machine frame 20 as to be capable of being given a recurrent shaking or vibratory movement in a substantially horizontal plane. To this end it may be mounted on rollers 24, 24 carried by shafts 25, to which said rollers are fixed, said shafts being mounted to rotate in the machine frame as in bearings 26, 26 provided for that purpose. Any suitable means for imparting to the said platform 23 and the apparatus carried thereby the requisite recurrent shaking or vibratory horizontal motion may be used. I have shown for this purpose a pitman 27 havinga pivoted connection 28 to the platform 23 and having a pivoted crank connection at 29 to a disk 30 on a shaft 31, to which a pulley 32 is secured, said shaft being turned by a belt 33 running over the pulley 32 and the pulley of an electric motor 34. The actuating mechanism for the shaking platform 23 is prefer ably covered over, as by a plate 35, and partially inclosed at the sides, as by means of screen plates 36. The cover plate 35, which is preferably movable to allow convenient access to the actuating mechanism, affords a convenient support upon which to place the empty bags to be filled. Extensions 37 37 of the machine frame are provided to sup port the plate 35, and the member 37 may be extended upwardly, as shown at 38, to afford a convenient location for the motor switch 39. I preferably provide spring means for controlling and smoothing out or damping the otherwise violent action of the vibrating platform, and to this end I may provide a shock absorber, which may be constructed, for example, as illustrated in Fig. 5. As shown therein, a preferably round rod 40 is secured to the machine frame 20 as by angle plates 41, the rod being held in place as by nuts 42. A sleeve 43 runs on the rod 40 and is normally spring held in a position substantially intermediate the ends of the rod 40 by means of compression springs 44, 44 interposed between the sleeve 43 and the angle pieces 41. The platform 23 is provided with a yoke member 45 firmly secured thereto and straddling the sleeve 43 between the shoulders 46, 46 provided at the ends thereof. With such arrangement the platform 23 and yoke 45 may move freely until the shoulders 46 are encountered, and from such point to the end of the stroke and for a similar distance on the return stroke the springs are compressed and permitted to expand respectively, as will be understood, and the violence of the movements of the platform 23 may thereby be damped to a considerable extent, the yoke member coming in contact with the shoulders 46 toward the end of its movement in either direction, and further movement being opposed by the spring provided for that purpose, and the return movement being assisted at its beginning by the expansive spring action.

The bag holding and filling devices are preferably supported from the platform 23, as by means of a pair of rear posts 48, 48 and a pair of forward posts 49, 49 set some what farther apart than the rear posts 48, 48. In the form shown, these posts at their upper ends carry the hopper 50, cross members as 51, 51 being provided to secure the posts together at their upper ends and to hold the hopper in place. The slide 50 may be moved in or out to close or open the discharge aperture 50 in the bottom of the hopper 50. Said hopper converges toward its bottom and terminates in a flexible spout 52 as of canvas or the like. Such spout, which is designed to extend within the mouth of the bag, may have any convenient form. I have illustrated said spout as being provided with an extending apron 53 to which a moderately heavy piece of pipe, bar or the like 54 is secured as by means of a hem 55, and attached as by cords 5G, 56 to the cross member 51 at the upper front part of the structure. Such apron 53 and member 54 may be dispensed with, if desired, but when provided afford a convenient means for closing the end of the spout 52 by pulling upward on the cords 56, 56, thus drawing the apron 53 across the mouth of the spout 52. \Vith such arrangement in use the slide 50 may be dispensed with, if desired.

The means for holding and sustaining the bag beneath the hopper 50 comprises slide bars 57 slidable upon the posts 48 and 49 and extending from one of the rear posts 48 to the forward post 49 on the same side, and thus converging toward one another at the rear of the apparatus, as appears clearly from Figs. 1 and 2. The slidable mounting of the slide bars 57 may be accomplished as is shown in Fig. 8 by providing them at one end with Ts 58 and connecting the ends of the Ts by elbows 59 with sleeves 60 which are preferably separated by some little distance and afford an extended bearing on the forward posts l9 which are passed through the openings in the sleeves 60. This construction may be the same at the rear, but it is ordinarily sufficient to make use of but a single sleeve 62 at such end of the slide bars 57 through which the posts 4 8 are passed. The slide bars are preferably held upwardly by springs ('33 which may be secured at one end to the cross members 51 and at the other end to the slide bars 57. The connection of the springs 63 at either end or both ends may be adjustable to make it possible to adjust the tension of the springs. In the form shown the lower ends of the springs are re ceived in eyes in bolts 6% and adjustment is secured by screwing up or unscrewing the nut (35 thereon.

Means are provided for limiting the upto arrange them separately, as shown, and,

to provide separate means for moving them. In the form shown a hand lever 67 is provided for each of the slide bars 57, and the same is pivoted to the rear post 48 at 68 and is connected by av link (39 to substantially the middle of the respective slide bar 57. Either a pivoted catch, as 70, or a stop, as 71., or both may be provided for the hand levers 67. In the form shown one of the levers 67 has a catch 70 and the other a stop 71. The stop serves to limit the downward movement of the hand levers, and therefore of the slide bars 57, and the catch serves to releasably hold the hand levers and slide bars in depressed position when occasion arises therefor.

The containers, as bags, are supported at their upper ends from the slide bars 57, and such supporting means are adjustable to provide for the reception and holding of bags of different sizes. This adjustability is made more readily possible by the fact of the slide bars 57, 57 being arranged so as to converge toward the rear so that rearward movement of the fastening means thereon brings them. closer together and vice versa. The bag holding and retaining means comprise slidable sleeves 72, preferably four in number, two on each of the slide bars 57 and arranged preferably one toward the forward end and one toward the rearward eiid of each such slide bar. Such sleeves 72 are held in the desired position by adjustable holding means such as the screws 73 which pass through threaded openings in the sleeves 72 and preferably enter grooves 74 provided in. each of the slide bars 57 and preferably arranged on the outer sides thereof to afford convenient access to the said screw 73. The sleeves 72 are thus held from turning on the bars 57. The manner in which the bags are held is clearly shown in Figs. 6 and 7. c The means for engaging the bags at their points of support may comprise upwardly directed prongs 75 and laterally directed prongs 76, and the prongs 75 may be made up of the pointed ends of members such as the elbows 77 screwed'into the sleeves 72, and the laterally directed prongs 76 may be formed on small plates 78 held in place on the elbows 77 as by means of nuts 79. Such plates 78 preferably project to some extent from their support and preferably toward one another on each of the slide bars 57, as is illustrated inFig 7, and serve to afford a somewhat extended support for the part of the bag engaged by the prongs. Means for preventing relative movement between the bag and the platform on which it stands are provided, and such means may comprise angle bars 80, 80 extending across the platform 23 in the front to back direction.

To make use of the apparatus so far described, the machinehaving first been arranged in' such position that a supply of grain or other material to be bagged is fed to the hopper 50, a bag or other flexible container is arranged in place, theuppe'r margin being turned over somewhat, and the material of the bag at its oorners being impaled by the prongs 75 and 76, the position of the sleeves-72 having first been adjusted so as to accommodate the particular size of container to be used. The slide 50 is then drawn out exposing the opening 50 in the bottom of the hopper 50 and permitting inaterial fed to the hopper to be dropped into the bag or other container, the position of which is indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 8. At or about the time the slide-50 is pulled out, or slightly before such time, the mechanism is set in motion to impart a recurrent lateral vibration or shaking move ment of substantially uniform amplitude to the platform and parts carried thereby, as by closing the switch 39, and such recurrent lateral shaking or vibratory movement is continued until the bag has been filled, or, if desired, it may be continued for some little time after the supply of material is shut off. f

The vibratory movement of the platform is stopped as by opening the switch 39, thus bringing the platform 23 to a standstill. If the spout 52 is provided with theextension 53 and weighted member 5% these are pulled upward as by means of the cord 56, thus closing such spout and retaining therein any material which has not passed from the spout to the ba When the extension 58 and weighted member 54: are not provided, any material remaining in the spout may be readily pushed outwardly toward the sides of the bag, as will readily be understood. The bag having been filled, the slide bars 57 are depressed by means of the hand levers 67, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 8, whereupon the margin of the bag can readily be detached from the prongs by which it is held. Ordinarily it is only necessary for the operator to use one hand to push down one of the levers 67, whereupon he can use his other hand to loosen the bag on that side, and the same operation may be repeated with the position of the hands reversed upon the opposite side of the bag. However, as already stated, a catch or catches 7 0 may be utilized to hold one or both of the hand levers 67. in lowered position, if desired.

It may happen that some of the bags are shorter than others, and if the same are supported rigidly at their upper ends when a considerable quantity of the material has been entered therein, their being held with their bottoms above the platform 23 would result in the tearing of the material of the bag at the points where it is held about its upper margin. The slide bars 57 being supportedby the springs 68, all difficulties of this sort are automatically taken care of, the

slide bars 57 being pulled down and the springs 68 elongated when shorter bags are used and sufficient material is received there in to stretch the springs 68. The angle bars 80 serve to prevent lateral displacement of the bag during the recurrent lateral shaking and vibrating action and keep it in position during the filling thereof, and the springs 4A, sleeve 18 and yoke 45 serve as a shock absorber, lessening the violence in the transition from movement from one direction to movement in the opposite direction. With such arrangement it is possible for the workman attending the machine to be engaged in effective and productive work at all times, since a filled container may be removed from the filling machine and set immediately to one side and a new container can be immediately introduced into the machine and it set into operation again, and while the last bag is being filled the operator can utilize the time during which it is being filled to move away the bag just filled, as to place the same in line with others to be sewed up, and he may even sew up the last filled bag during such interval if the time required for filling the succeeding bag is sul'iiciently long, or this time may be utilized for other purposes, one man being readily able with a machine in accordance with my invention to fill as many bags or even more than can be filled by two men engaged in hand bagging, the only attention required for filling the bags being the placing of the bag in position and removing it when it has been filled and in starting and stopping the mechanism when a. new bag is placed on or when a filled bag is taken off.

lVhile in Figs. 1 to S I have illustrated my invention as applied to .a machine for bagging material in but one bag at a time,

it is, of course, possible that the invention may be embodied in machines for filling any desired number of bags simultaneously or substantially so. In Figs. 9 to 12 I have illustrated my invention as applied to an apparatus in which three bags may be filled from the single hopper at one time. Such apparatus does not differ substantially from that already described, except in the shape of platform, the position of the hopper and the mode of applying vibratory movement. In this form the filling units are arranged on a circular platform 100 arranged to oscillate about a post 101 upon rollers 102, and recurrent lateral vibration or shaking movement of the filling units in a substantially horizontal plane is produced by applying oscillatory movement to the platform 100 through a small angle, such angle being so small that the deviation from straight line recurrent movement is practically negligible. This may be accomplished, for example, by means of a pitman 108 pivoted in a plate 104; secured to turn horizontally in the table 100, as by means of a vertical stud or bolt 105. The pitman 108 may be mounted on a crank on the shaft 100, which may be rotated in any convenient manner, as by a belt 107 running over the pulley 108 on such shaft, the belt being connected with any convenient source of power. A spring shock absorber for reducing the violence caused by sudden transition in direction of movement may be provided, and the same may comprise arod 109 secured to the under side of the platform 100, as by means of angle pieces 110 and having a sleeve 111 at substantially its center and interposed be tween springs 112, 112 which bear at their opposite ends against the angle pieces 110, and a yoke 118 having an opening 114; to loosely receive the sleeve 112 and interposed between shoulders 115, 115 on such sleeve may be connected to the machine base 116, and such construction will serve to lessen the shocks through the sudden transition of di rection of motion substantially as already described with respect to the first type of machine referred to. The rod 109 may be disposed substantially along a chord of the preferably circular platform 100, as shown in Fig. 9, the clearance between the sleeve 111 and the arms of the yoke 118 being sufli cient to compensate for the slight arcuate movement of the parts connected with the moving platform. The hoppers 50 for the separate filling units may be connected together at the center, as shown, so that a single supply spout will suliice for supplying material to be bagged to the separate bagging units.

While I have shown three separate bagging units arranged on a platform 100, it is to be understood that the precise number is unimportantand may be varied according to the conditions to be met, and that multiple bagging units may be utilized in other relations than the multiple construction shown, in which the bagging units are arranged radially about a common center upon a circular platform. The operation. of such multiple apparatus will be readily understood from the foregoing description and from the description-of the operation of the single apparatus and need not be further referred to.

I'Vhile I have illustrated certain specific forms of apparatus, it is to be understood that my invention is not confined thereto, but is of the scope defined by my claims, and that numerous changes in and departures from the precise construction shown may be resorted to within the scope of my claims and without departing from my invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a bag filling machine, a support for a bag to be filled whereby the bag is held in substantially vertical position, and means for imparting to said support and bag held thereby bodily recurrent lateral movement, the amplitude of such movement being substantially the same throughout the height of the bag, substantially as set forth.

2. In a bag filling machine, a support for a bag to be filled whereby the bag is held in substantially vertical position, means for imparting to said support and bag bodily recurrent lateral movement, the amplitude of such movement being substantially the same throughout the height of the bag, and means for damping such movement, substantially as set forth.

3. In a bag filling machine, a platform, means carried by said platform for holding a bag to be filled in substantially vertical position, and means for imparting bodily recurrent lateral movement to said platform, bag and holding means, the amplitude of such movement being substantially the same throughout the height of the bag, substantially as set forth.

4. In a bag filling machine, a platform, means carried by said platform for holding a bag to be filled in substantially vertical position, means for imparting bodily recurrent lateral movement to said bag, platform and holding means, the amplitude of such movement being substantially the same throughout the height of the bag, and means applied to said platform for damping such movement, substantially as set forth.

5. In a bag filling machine, a top support and a bottom support for a bag to be filled, said supports being connected together to move in unison, and means for imparting bodily recurrent lateral movement of substantially uniform amplitude to a bag and said supports, substantially as set forth.

another in a substantially horizontal plane, sleeves adjustable toward and away from one another on said members, and bag engaging means carried by said sleeves, sub

stantially as set forth.

7. In a bagging machine, a platform, a pair of front posts mounted thereon, a pair of rear'posts thereon and closer together,

than said front posts, a pair of slide bars each slidable on one forward and one rear post, and bag engaging members carried by said bars and adjustable lengthwise thereof to accommodate bags of various sizes, substantially as set forth.

8. In a bagging machine, a pair of converging slide bars, upwardly extended members whereon said slide bars are slidably mounted, spring means for drawing said slide bars upwardly, manually operable means for moving said slide bars downward against said spring, and adjustable means on said slide bars for engaging and holding a bag to be filled, substantially as set forth. y

9. In a bagging machine, a platform. for supporting a bag to be filled, means for imparting bodily recurrent lateral movement to said platform and bag, and a shock absorber for damping such lateral movement comprising a pair of springs, a member intermediate of said springs and provided with end stops, and a yoke attached to said platform and slidable on said member into' contact with said stops toward each end of its lateral movement, substantially as set 'orth. 0

10. In a bag filling machine, a plurality of bag supporting means each comprising an upwardly directed prong, a plate for supporting a portion of the bag margin, and an outwardly directed prong carried by.said plate, substantially as set forth.

11. In a bag filling machine, means for supporting a bag to be filled comprising a plurality of members each having an upwardly directed prong and an outwardly directed prong, and a laterally extending plate, said plate forming a support for said outwardly directed prong and extended toward another of the supporting members, substantially as set forth.

12. In a bagging machine, a platform, means for imparting bodily recurrent lateral movement thereto, a shock absorber for damping the movement of said platform, a pair of posts on said platform, a second pair of posts on said platform in front of the first pair and farther apart, a pair of slide bars each slidable upon one forward and one rear post and converging toward one another at the rear, springs for sustaining said slide bars, hand levers for depressing said slide bars, aplurality of bag engaging means I hereunto set my hand, this 1st day of equally distributed between said slide bars March, 1915.

and movable forward and back thereon and a means for introducing material into a bag CHAS STEHLIN on said platform and held by said bag en- Witnesses:

gaging means, substantially as set forth. M. A. JOHNSON,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, H. TRAUTVETTER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

